ESL Web Resources

1. Epic! https://www.getepic.com/app
Epic is a wonderful resource full of leveled books, audio books, videos, and Read to Me
books. An educator account is free to set up. Once you set up a free account you will
need to create an account for each student. You’ll receive a class code that students
will use to log in. From the Teacher Dashboard you’re able to browse books by level
and category. Students can also access Epic at home for free during certain hours. I
love this resource for ELs because the books are engaging and many have the read
aloud feature. There are even some books in Spanish, Chinese, and French!
● From the Epic homepage, select “Explore” at the top of the screen
● Select which category you would like to explore - recommended, F&P, Read to
Me, Videos, Audiobooks, English Language Arts, Science & Arts, Social
Emotional Learning, Social Studies, Math, and Languages **languages is where
you can find books in Spanish, Chinese, and French**
● When you hover over a book, you can either add the book to the teacher
“collection” or assign the books to specific students or the whole class
● Any book with the neon green “Read to Me” label in the bottom right hand corner
can be read aloud

2. https://www.rong-chang.com/
This website has over 2,500 conversations with audio and 3,000 short stories to help
ESL students practice reading, speaking, and listening. The website organizes the
conversations by level (beginners and intermediate) and topic. It also has a wide range
of other resources such as information on “The 100 American People,” grammar,
pronunciation, and sentence structure exercises. There is even a link to popular
American songs. The lyrics are listed and a link goes right to the song on YouTube. This
website could be utilized for supporting ELs practice speaking and listening to English.

3. Florida Center for Reading Research: https://fcrr.org/student-center-activities

This website is organized by grade level and provides free lesson plans, templates, and
activity ideas for developing Phonological/Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency,
Vocabulary, and Comprehension. The lesson plans are easy to follow and include all
necessary templates. While not specifically designed for ELs, the website covers all of
the important components of reading and includes lots of great graphic organizers and
visuals. For example, in a First Grade Vocabulary Lesson, students are taught how to
create a semantic map to understand word meaning. This is a great exercise for
developing writing skills such as classifying, describing, and comparing. Many of the
activities fit the Can Do Descriptors from WIDA.
● From the main FCRR Student Center Activities page, look over to the left to find
the grade level you want (Pre-Kindergarten, K and 1st, 2nd and 3rd, 4th and 5th,
and Teacher Resource Guide
 ● After you’ve selected the appropriate grade level for the skill you want to teach,
you’ll be able to select the reading skill (Pre-K-alphabet knowledge, phonological
awareness, language and vocabulary K-1st phonological awareness, phonics,
fluency, vocabulary, comprehension 2nd-3rd phonemic awareness, phonics,
fluency, vocabulary, comprehension 4th-5th advanced phonics, fluency,
vocabulary, comprehension)
● Each reading skill includes multiple lesson plans with various activities

4. ESL Kids World https://eslkidsworld.com/

This website is a treasure trove of resources to support ESL instruction, small group,
and assessment. There are worksheets, flashcards, games, songs, powerpoints, and
interactive activities that include movement. Warning, the website is a little difficult to
navigate.
● Select what kind of resource you would like (worksheet, phonics, flashcards,
games, songs, powerpoint, or interactive practice)
● Once you’re in a category, the file names are listed alphabetically (personally,
this was a little overwhelming and unorganized
For example, if you want to practice the Reading skill of “matching vocabulary to
illustrated stories” from the WIDA “Can Do Descriptors,” select Flashcards, then select
“Actions Flashcards - Clap to Walk” and you can find a bunch of flashcards with actions
and illustrations. There are also some unique practices. To practice answering “WH”
questions, select Songs, ‘Want’ Song Worksheets, listen to the Backstreet Boys sing “I
Want it That Way,” and then students answer “wh” questions based on the song such
as, What doesn’t the singer want to hear? Who is ‘falling apart’? What is heartache?
What is your one desire in life? This is a good website to browse when you’re looking
for some new ideas, activity ideas, and free resources.